


If I Burn for You

by LaCacciatrice



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts (implied), The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar) Has Issues, he doesn't tell the story but they get it, no beta read we die like 41st division
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaCacciatrice/pseuds/LaCacciatrice
Summary: Before Katara could answer and possibly start another sibling argument, Aang stood up from where he was sitting next to Katara and looked into Sokka’s eyes with a worried expression clouding his grey eyes.“Zuko is sick.”
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (mentioned), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Implied), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 386





	If I Burn for You

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Avatar 2 times in the last 10 years, while I didn't watch it on Netflix this year, its new popularity dragged me back into the fandom and I decided to write for Atla for the first time.  
> English is, like, my 3rd or 4th language and I only self-studied it. Be patient with me.  
> While I am not a professional, I struggled with mental illnesses all my life and it is terrible and I relate to Zuko strongly. I also know it's important to talk about your feelings but I never do that so I give Zuko an opening I guess.  
> As I said, I am not a professional but here Zuko's anger is fed by IED but it's just... slightly relate to that mental disorder. I won't tag any of the disorders/illnesses that I actually... draw from in this fic because again I am not qualified for it

When Sokka was pulled back from a very nice dream and dragged back into wakefulness, he was only asleep for 3 hours. Others were already awake and apparently their constant mumbles and whispers was what woke him up in the first place. He blinked twice and closed his eyes annoyedly, turning around to bury his face into his sleeping bag. Unless Azula was attacking them with a whole battalion, Sokka was going to avoid whatever was going on with the group this time. But their mumbles wouldn’t go away and thinking about how much he would like to block their whispers made it only more annoying. Sokka groaned childishly and sat up to yell at others because it was shut the fuck o’clock and he needed his sleep. He was  _ so  _ damn tired. 

“Okay, what is going on with—” But his sister turned around so quickly that her loose hair almost slapped Aang in the face and she glared at him angrily. 

“Keep your voice down.” She said sternly before turning her back to him. Sokka blinked several times, shocked by his sister’s sudden annoyance before pointing his forefinger at her accusingly.

“Excuse me?! Keep my voice down? I am not the one who is mumbling and whispering so loudly in the middle of the night!” Before Katara could answer and possibly start another sibling argument, Aang stood up from where he was sitting next to Katara and looked into Sokka’s eyes with a worried expression clouding his grey eyes. 

“Zuko is sick.” Sokka’s hand dropped on his lap and he blinked at Aang.

“What?”

“Zuko is sick.” Katara repeated with less patience than Aang. She was leaning toward the  firebender who was wrapped up in his sleeping bag like they were in the middle of a blizzard in the South Pole. That’s when he truly sobered up and noticed how everyone other than him were sitting around the sleeping  firebender . Apparently, that was what they were all discussing before he woke up. Sokka could barely see Zuko under his messy black hair covering most of his face but his cheeks were unnaturally red compared to his unusually pale neck. And he was shivering like his crazy sister shot him with lightning or something. “So, keep your voice down.”

Oh, well, that wasn’t good. No, that was terrible. And not only because Zuko was Aang’s  firebending teacher and the Avatar needed to be taught  firebending as soon as possible but also because the last time someone was truly sick, Aang made him and Katara suck on frozen frogs, so...

“What’s wrong with him?” Sokka asked as he crawled on all fours toward them and sat next to Toph with a yawn.

“He was mumbling nonsense all night since we went to sleep.” Toph explained. “I thought he was having a nightmare because he usually does but his body temperature is unnaturally high, even for a  firebender .”

Sokka opened his mouth to ask her more but Zuko stirred like he was just waking up and moaned pitifully. 

“Uncle?” A hoarse mumble escaped between his chattering teeth and pale, dry lips as a shaky hand reached for Sokka. Blue eyed boy wondered for a moment if Zuko could actually see him because he was lying down on his right side which means Sokka was facing his scarred side and even though Zuko gave him no reason to believe that he had a weak side in a fight, Sokka never stopped wondering if his eye was damaged or not. Because the size of that scar was still terrible even after healing long ago and Sokka knew it looked even worse when it was still fresh and he couldn’t wrap his mind around what could possibly happen to him to burn him that bad. That thought always made him shudder, especially after being at the receiving end of evil firebenders’ attack for so long. Yes, there was no way that eye wasn’t damaged. 

“Umm, yeah!” Sokka giggled nervously and he looked down at Zuko’s hand for a moment before grabbing it awkwardly. Because Iroh definitely wasn’t here and even though Zuko never told them what actually happened between them ( _ because Zuko never talked about himself _ ) Sokka knew from their little trip to the Boiling Rock that it was a huge regret in Zuko’s life and it was a sour subject. That was weird to Sokka, now that they were here together and Zuko seemed like a different person, mostly because he was no longer a lifeless figure representing  everything they hated about the Fire Nation. Now, he was a person with his own complicated backstory and complex personality and it was so different from how they always imagined him to be. It was easier to imagine Zuko as a pure evil and spoiled prince who was chasing them around for personal glory. Sokka never felt a need to stop and think Zuko as a person when he was still commanding a garbage ship and turning their lives into a nightmare every time he appeared out of nowhere. But now, now he was a person. A sad, lonely, depressed person who was terrible at telling jokes, who was so bad at communication and basic emotions and Sokka had to remember why he was so afraid of Zuko in the first place. 

But now he was realizing that, even then, even when Zuko was an angry  jerkbender with a terrible ponytail and was more of a  one dimensional character from a folktale than a person, Sokka never saw Zuko as a heartless monster. Yes, he was terrible and there was a time Sokka believed he deserved a terrible death but... he never saw him the way he saw Azula. It always felt like while Zuko was terrible to them, he was still... okay with that kind old man. It almost seemed like he cared about him. Which made no sense to Sokka back then because Zuko was the evil spawn of a bigger evil jerk. Yet, Zuko was an enemy with honor and morals somehow. 

Now, he was almost desperately, and in a very not Zuko-like way, pleading and asking for his uncle. How could Sokka tell him that his actions probably drive the old man away and no one knew where he was or if he was even alive? How could he tell Zuko that he let down that man and betrayed him and now he was far away? So, he deepened his voice and awkwardly said, “yes, nephew, it’s me, Iroh, I like tea!”

“Sokka!” Katara punched his arm with more force than necessary and Sokka yelped, rubbing his arm with an annoyed expression. He was used to getting this kind of punches and kicks from Toph all the time now but he wasn’t willing to add Katara to this list. 

Katara turned her blue eyes to the former prince of the Fire Nation and her angry expression softened immediately, turning into worry. She reached forward and pressed the back of her hand against Zuko’s forehead but pulled back immediately with a gasp. 

“He is hot. Way too hot.” She said, her frown deepening as she rubbed the back of her hand without taking her eyes off the sick boy. “Aang, you are the only one who knew someone from the Fire Nation before. Do you think this is normal for  firebenders ?”

Aang’s eyes didn’t leave his sick firebending teacher as he shrugged.

“ Kuzon was a  firebender but I don’t remember him being sick. I know that  firebenders usually have higher body temperature than we do. I think it’s normal, Zuko can handle high temperatures that would kill the rest of us but... he is still very sick.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Toph wiggled her toes against the ground and leaned back against her hands. “He is so out of it that he thought Sokka was Iroh.”

“Maybe he confused my wisdom with his uncle’s.”

“Yeah, sure.” Katara said dryly. Instead of saying anything else, she reached for the bucket of water next to them. “He is already too  hot, we need to carry him away from the campfire. And I will try to help with the pain but illnesses aren’t as easy to heal as injuries.” 

Sokka winced as he and Aang dragged Zuko’s sleeping bag away from the fire while he was still in it and the older boy moaned pitifully again. He was mumbling something that Sokka couldn’t understand. Honestly, it was strange to see Zuko like this. While Sokka didn’t know much about Zuko ( _ because again, he never talked about himself _ ), he always admired one thing about him. It felt like Zuko needed no one. To Sokka, it always felt like this. Apart from being a  firebender and carrying that way-too-prideful attitude, Zuko was a very skilled swordsman and according to Katara, he was great at stealth. He had all the skills to survive alone, which was something Sokka would like to consider himself having for a long time. Not that he could ever imagine himself leaving his sister or his family or friends but... having that confidence was important to him as a warrior. Then there was the fact that Zuko never felt... like a teen, let alone a child. There was this air of maturity surrounding him even when he was going around and yelling like a spoiled brat when they first met him. He didn’t carry the optimism, hope, joy or love that even the war couldn’t take away from these children. He felt... so dark, empty and depressive. Like the way Sokka imagined the rest of the Fire Nation to be before stepping a foot on their land. Now he looked like a troubled, sick teen who wanted his uncle.

“Not here.” He hissed between his tightly closed teeth; eyes hidden under messy black strands. “Not here, Uncle.”

“Uh, sorry?” Sokka looked at Aang awkwardly but the young Avatar only shrugged. They weren’t even sure Zuko was talking to them. “Are you not comfortable here, buddy?”

“She knows I am here.” He mumbled again. He threw his head back, dark strands fell back against the sleeping bag, revealing his slightly open golden eyes. Sokka frowned uncomfortably as he realized how out of it Zuko actually was. He couldn’t focus on anything and his eyes were clouded. Yet, a part of Sokka felt like Zuko was looking right into his eyes which was weird because most of the time Zuko avoided eye contact. In that moment, he looked both too young and too old. “I can’t go back. He will kill me. I can’t.” 

“Well, you are not.” Sokka said determinedly even though he wasn’t sure what he was answering to. Katara dragged the bucket next to Zuko and sat on his other side, hands dipping into the water which started glowing as soon as it touched Zuko’s feverish skin. Sokka could swear he saw some steam rising from his forehead when Katara placed her water-covered hands on him.

“I am cold.” Zuko muttered as he blinked slowly. Toph was standing next to Sokka and for a moment, Sokka wondered why he was the only one who was answering to Zuko’s nonsense. It didn’t take a genius to see that Zuko was  _ so  _ sick, he probably wasn’t even aware of their presences around him, he was fighting with whatever bizarre thing was going on in his mind right now. And maybe it made no difference to Zuko if someone answered to him like it was a conversation but it felt wrong somehow. To leave him alone in that pain and absurd delusion. Sokka hoped that his voice actually reached Zuko and even if it made no sense, maybe it helped him in a way. Maybe hearing someone else being so close was comforting?

“Sorry, buddy. But we can’t give you anything else. You are burning. Like, seriously.” Aang and Katara’s foreheads were almost touching each other as they quietly discussed how could one heal an illness.

“I am burning.” Zuko choked as he repeated Sokka’s words, he closed his eyes tightly and lifted a shaky hand to his face, finger tips softly touching the scar on his face like it was still fresh and he was afraid. “He burnt me.”

Sokka swallowed forcefully as he tried not to think about the meaning of those words and reached forward, wrapping his long fingers around Zuko’s pale wrist as he pulled his hand away from his scar. He felt sick, too. While Zuko’s scar never bothered him (because he was used to it and Zuko was still cute with it, especially when he was not brooding or yelling), it wasn’t something Sokka liked to think about. Because then he would think about the amount of pain a huge scar like that probably caused. And he would think about Zuko’s lesson to Aang about how it was hard to burn a  firebender . Then he would wonder and wonder until he couldn’t stop himself and asked Zuko... which was a big no-no in their group. While Zuko was used to people staring at his scar or even making a rude comment, he was clearly not open to talk about it. And deep down, Sokka wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to know or not. Because since Boiling Rock, Zuko became a huge part of his life and he was surprised by how much he enjoyed his company. Zuko was a boy around his age who was surprisingly mature when he wasn’t acting like an angry child and he also liked swords. He also knew a lot about military which was something Sokka was interested in because he was trying his damn hardest to become a good leader in a war. If Zuko told him and it turned out to be a horrible, terrible tale instead of a training accident... then Sokka wasn’t sure how he would act around the  firebender . He preferred the spoiled angry selfish prince because that one didn’t carry all  that baggage. 

“You are okay.” He whispered with an assuring voice. “You are among friends. You are safe.”

“Father is not here?” Sokka wasn’t sure if he sounded relieved and hopeful or hurt and disappointed but his fingers tightened around Zuko’s as he wondered which was the right answer.

“No, he is not.” But then Zuko let go of a breath like he was relieved and closed his eyes again and Sokka knew he gave the right answer. He closed his eyes for a moment as he was receiving an answer to the  question that he was so afraid to ask. 

“Good.” The other boy mumbled. And Sokka tried not to tighten his fingers around Zuko’s anymore, in fear of hurting him, but it was so hard to look at him like this, when he was sick. Because normally, Zuko looked strong and capable. Yet, here he was more child than an adult, hurt and sick. So fragile, so vulnerable. And thinking about someone willingly hurting him made Sokka want to punch something or someone. “Uncle isn’t here either, is he?” 

“I--” Sokka panicked as he looked at Toph, not knowing what to say but luckily, Zuko didn’t give him a chance to answer.

“I couldn’t save him.” 

“I am sure your uncle is safe, buddy.” His thumb caressed the back of Zuko’s hand. 

“I can’t save anyone.” He sobbed in a way that shocked Sokka, his thumb froze on Zuko’s hand. This was a side of Zuko he has never seen before. He was so out of control, so vulnerable. Sokka only really came face to face with a Zuko who was either angry or annoyed. Apart from that, he looked almost emotionless. Like a void. Now thinking about it made him feel uncomfortable because he was freaking 16 and there was no reason for him to be this empty. “Not uncle. Not my mother. Not those soldiers.”

“I am sure your soldiers are safe somewhere, Zuko.” Aang looked away from Katara for a moment and placed his hand on Zuko’s shoulder in an assuring manner. But the older boy thrashed around in his sleeping bag, trying to free his other hand as he turned his head from left to right. Katara pulled her hands away with worry coloring her blue eyes and the water dropped on the ground with a splash. 

Because of course Loser Lord would put his 14 years old daughter and 16 years old son in charge of divisions in this freaking war. He wasn’t raising  children; he was raising weapons. 

“I think it’s not working.” Katara said to Aang. 

“They aren’t safe. They are dead. All of them. He sent them to their death.” Zuko sobbed again and Sokka dropped his head, reaching forward to place his palms against Zuko’s shoulders to push him back against the ground so he wouldn’t accidentally hurt himself. But as soon as Zuko felt Sokka’s fingers digging into his shoulders, he cried out and tried to escape his hold. 

“I am such an idiot. I have always been an idiot. Azula is right.” He finally freed his other hand and before Sokka could reach he buried his hands in his hair, pulling dark strands. Sokka winced as Katara and Aang wrapped their fingers around Zuko’s and pulled his hands away gently. “I ruined everything. I knew I had to stay silent. Uncle said so. But I talked like the idiot that I was. That I still am.” He raised his hand again but instead of pulling his hair, his fingers touched his scar this time. “I meant well, I know I was right but look what it did to me, how it turned out.”

Katara and Sokka shared a look; Sokka knew his sister was no idiot. They both understood what was haunting the older boy. 

“You are not an idiot.” Sokka said firmly. “You are a very resourceful guy who is good at many things. You don’t always have to be the best at something for it to have a worth. You are good.”

Katara placed Zuko’s hand inside the sleeping bag again before turning to the bucket of water. 

“I am not good at anything.” Zuko’s breathing slowed down as he lied there like a broken puppet, so still all of a sudden. His eyes were turned to the sky. “I couldn’t even master my own bending for so long because I feel so humiliated, so stupid, so worthless every damn time. I ruin everything I touch. I ruined those soldiers’ lives. I ruined uncle’s life because he had to follow me to my banishment.” He started moving again; shivering and turning his head from left to right, Katara looked at Aang for help to steady him. “How did I repay him? With a knife in his back? I was so angry at everything that I pushed him away and now he had enough of me and left. Like everyone always does.”

Because uncle was so patient for so long, he stayed around an explosive, self-destructive teenage for so long. Zuko always wondered if his uncle was hoping for a repayment from Agni for his patience with one of his children. Maybe he was hoping that all those struggles would be rewarded and Zuko would turn into that 7 years old boy again; giving bright smiles and tight hugs to his uncle as he took him to Ember Island with Lu-Ten to spend the weekend. Then his uncle needed to wake the fuck up because even Zuko knew that the boy he was longing for was long gone. Dead. Buried under torn flesh and ashes and blood. He was this person now; this soft and vulnerable shell that would be broken any second and drowning and infecting everyone around him with all those terrible, dark feelings and thoughts that he was struggling to keep inside. This anger that was clawing and burning his heart to be let out. 

So, he pushed and insulted and yelled at him until he would understand that Zuko was gone forever and now he was this poorly made figure that his father always wanted. So, Iroh would finally leave him, too and Zuko would be alone instead of lashing his anger, humiliation and conflict on his poor uncle. And it would be a freeing experience. He would feel no pressure anymore. His father and his sister alongside with their nation gave up on him long ago. His mother was gone. His crew didn’t care about him. Only Iroh’s expectations were there to be lived up to. And maybe that wasn’t fair to Uncle, he never forced Zuko to do anything, he never put any expectations on him and looked at him disappointedly when he failed to reach them because of course he would. He was a disappointment. Yet, Zuko always felt  _ disgusting _ whenever he lost control –because his sister or father never did and he could never understand what his problem was— and did something stupid or terrible and he just couldn’t look Iroh in the eye without yelling at him because he just felt so terrible and he was so freaking tired of disappointing everyone around him. This anger that surfaced shortly after his banishment and was tearing him apart because his chest was filled with a heat that was nothing like his  _ chi _ and he couldn’t keep it inside until it was too late and he felt that same embarrassment and disgust. 

It was almost funny how terrified he was of losing Uncle’s stable and warm presence but at the same time he was so sure he would be relieved once he was gone because now, he would have nothing left to lose and it would be so easy to let go, be consumed by this darkness inside him. Yet, once Iroh was taken away from him he only felt more anger, more pain and more conflict. He felt lost in the darkness once Iroh’s light was no longer guiding him. He tried to find his way in the blinding darkness clawing at walls with his bare hands. And then he found himself here. It was light, wasn’t it? Avatar’s was the brightest light but Zuko found himself still longing for Iroh’s gentle blaze.

_ “Anything to make you happy.” _ Once Iroh told him with a soft smile when Zuko was hiding in his room for hours without an explanation. Because he couldn’t talk about how his little sister scared him these days. He couldn’t talk about how he was slowly realizing his father didn’t love him at all and he didn’t know what to do with this information. So, like the weak coward that he was, he hid behind the only figure in his life that felt solid. 

Iroh took those words to heart, even when Zuko didn’t understand how, Iroh was one way or another, trying to make him happy. Zuko didn’t think he could ever be happy. His younger self tied all his hopes of happiness to his return to the Fire Nation with glory and honor. That’s exactly what happened when Zuko returned to the Capital as the Avatar Slayer and accepted as his father’s right hand. Yet, there was no happiness in those memories.

Maybe not everyone was destined to be happy... and maybe that was okay.

“I am sure he didn’t mean to leave you.” Sokka said softly. 

“You can’t be that bad.” Toph supported Sokka. ““I mean, you are a little rough around the edges but you are okay.”

Of course, Toph never met  _ that _ Zuko; the one who turned his pain into anger and hatred, who yelled at people around him because there was this boiling up anger that seated in his chest all the time. An anger that he struggled to understand and couldn’t control because all he wanted to do was to destroy everything around him until they were burning down the same way this stupid pain, shame and hatred in his chest were hurting him. Yet, he was all barking and no biting most of the time, which only fueled his anger at himself because he was an idiot who couldn’t control his emotions and threw childish temper tantrums. He was so out of control (no power over his crew or his own emotions), he always acted without thinking, destroying everything around him in his own self-destructiveness. That Zuko who was stuck between becoming the person his father wanted him to be and who he truly was. Zuko who hated feeling this way all the time that his pettiness led him to spread this infection, this ugly feeling all around him like a thick, black vomit. Zuko who felt shame and humiliation because he never fit the mold his father created for him unlike his sister who fit into hers like she was born for it. So, his father tried to break and bend him to his will, until he could fit into this  _ perfect _ mold. Yet, he never managed to fit in with his family. That Zuko who was wallowing in his own shame, humiliation, pain and sorrow.

Zuko was silent after that for a while, he blinked blankly at the dark sky as Katara finally managed to lower his temperature slightly. She pulled back and looked at her friends. 

“That’s all I can do, I think. At least it feels like he is not in pain anymore. It feels more like a dull ache.”

“That’s good.” Aang nodded. “Maybe he can sleep and he will feel better in the morning.”

“Well, we can hope so.” Sokka was ready to go back to sleep when he heard Zuko mumbling again.

“I am not my father’s son. I am not. I am Ursa’s son.” Sokka’s chest tightened as he watched a tear roll down from Zuko’s right eye as he blinked. “So why was I so desperate to get back to him when he burned me and casted me aside and banished me?” He giggled in a way that didn’t sound like Zuko at all. “He hurt me. He always hurt me and I kept going back to him. I spent my entire life trying to impress him. I let his anger and hatred infect me and turn me into a horrible person. I gave him everything, including my life. I gave and gave until there was nothing left to give.” He forced his eyes open and looked at his right, to the young  airbender . “I did it all for him but it shouldn’t be this hard to gain your father’s love, isn’t your parent supposed to love you unconditionally?”

“He is.” Sokka was too stunned by the meaning behind Zuko’s word to realize how much time passed until Aang grabbed Zuko’s hand with a determined face that reminded him of a wise old man rather than a 12 years old kid.

“Would he love me more if I was more like Azula? If I did everything he asked without a question? If I was better?”

Sokka couldn’t imagine a Zuko like that. Even when he was their enemy, he wasn’t that person. And just thinking about Zuko letting go a huge part of himself, killing it, that made him who he is only to gain his father’s love and respect and to become what he expected him to be made him feel sick. 

“I am sorry your father didn’t love you, Zuko. You do deserve better. But there are others who love you the way you deserve to be loved.” His face softened as he looked down at the older boy and meeting his eyes. “And I think you are pretty brave. We all suffered in this war and went through hardship. But we had one comfort that you don’t have. We were raised by good people who supported us and thanks to them, we never had that conflict of questioning our world view or belief. We are confident not because we are arrogant but because we know what we are doing is right. We were surrounded by good people and we know they raised us right, that we are fighting for what’s right. You grew up surrounded by people who saw compassion and kindness as weakness. And you were surrounded by Fire Nation propaganda. But you let your travels enlighten you and you found the right path. It wasn’t linear, for sure, but you had the courage to question your entire world view, your belief and purpose. Leaving everything behind, accepting that you were wrong and everything you believed in was corrupt takes a lot of courage and humility.  So does asking for forgiveness yet not demanding or feeling entitled to it. We forgave you not because you simply apologized but because you worked hard to earn it, you proved yourself and you never acted like we owed it to you. It also takes spiritual maturity and humility. And maybe you don’t see it but we do. And that’s why we love you.”

“But... do I deserve it? Your forgiveness and love?” Sokka tried not to look at Zuko’s eyes that were shining with unshed tears. He shifted his focus to Aang’s calm and soothing presence instead.

“Where you come from often shapes who you are but who you strive to become is up to you and it’s all defined by only you. And most of the time, it’s all that matters.” Aang gave a soft, soothing smile that reminded Sokka of the fact that this kid was the Avatar. The freaking Avatar. “You strive and work to become someone who deserves it all and more. And that’s what we see in you.”

_ Not your failures. Not your wrongdoings or shortcomings. But who you strive to become.  _

Sokka looked down at the older boy who was blinking at Aang for a moment before he closed his eyes and relaxed.

“Thank you.” He mumbled softly. Aang didn’t answer but he softly touched Zuko’s forehead which somehow soothed the  firebender and he fell into a deep sleep shortly after. 

“Well,” Katara muttered heavily, “let’s keep him here in case he runs a terrible fever again while we are sleeping.”

“You go to sleep.” Sokka said, without taking his eyes off the sleeping boy. “I will join you in a minute.”

No one questioned him as they were too tired to argue about anything. They all fell into a deep sleep like Zuko shortly after. Finally, Sokka stood up and walked toward his own sleeping bag. He gathered it in his arms and walked back toward his sleeping friend. Tonight, he would sleep next to him, in case something went wrong again. In case he needed someone to remind him that no one would ever hurt him again as long as they were together. 


End file.
